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2007 Round 2 Pre-game Articles
WALKING WOUNDED: The Saints are likely to again be without co-captain Nick Riewoldt due to a hamstring injury but defender Max Hudghton is a good chance to return from a groin injury after training strongly this week. Another co-captain in Luke Ball is also expected to play, despite copping another heavy knock last week, although defender Matt Maguire is again sidelined due to stress fractures in his feet. The Lions' major worries are ruckman Jamie Charman (achilles) and Nigel Lappin (cork thigh) who both face a race against time to be fit in what is a short week with the game being played on Thursday night. Defender Jason Roe (hamstring) is also in doubt. FORM: This match pits together two first round winners but the Lions hardly set the world on fire in round one at the Gabba in beating Hawthorn in a boring, low-scoring encounter. The Saints however were impressive in winning their first game under new coach Ross Lyon as they downed highly-rated Melbourne at the MCG. WHO'S HOT: St Kilda spearhead Fraser Gehrig appeared to relish his new role of playing further up the ground in round one and his four goals were the key to the Saints' 31-point win. For Brisbane veteran midfielder Simon Black carried his impressive NAB Cup form into the season opener as he destroyed the Hawks with 39 possessions as well as amassing six inside 50's and six clearances. WE THINK: This looms as a fascinating encounter between two teams who already look as though they are in for improved seasons. The Lions are up and running following their run to the NAB Cup final and will surely play better than they did last week against Hawthorn while the Saints played in the mould of Sydney during their first round win over Melbourne as new coach and former Swans' assistant Lyon showed the Saints would be far more accountable this season. Despite the fact this game is at the Gabba, the Saints look the safer bet. They have the players to shut down the Lions' strong midfield and look to have the stronger attack. St Kilda by 10 points. The Article Paul Gough/Sportal/05Apr07
Fifty-three games, 23 years old, how confident are you now compared to this time last year? A lot more confident. Last year was a building-block season and a season to establish myself and I now think I've done that. This year I'm really looking forward to stepping up. When were you drafted and at what number? The super draft of '01 and No. 37. Fair get at 37. I didn't have any expectations back then. I was happy to end up at St Kilda and as it's turned out it's taken me a little bit more time than other people in that draft. It has been a gradual rise rather than, "Bang, I'm here". You've had to work on your fitness and your defensive game. No doubt there was all those aspects, starting with my size. I was under 70 kilos and now I'm 78-79. And there were the other dimensions: the confidence, the ability to play at that level, the defensive efforts and the hardness, which all take time. The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/05Apr07 Leigh Montagna speaks out EXCLUSIVE: THREE years after allegations - and a police investigation - almost ruined his life, St Kilda's Leigh Montagna breaks his silence. MARK ROBINSON: Footy or life to start? LEIGH MONTAGNA: Let's go footy. Fifty-three games, 23 years old, how confident are you now compared to this time last year? A lot more confident. Last year was a building-block season and a season to establish myself and I now think I've done that. This year I'm really looking forward to stepping up. When were you drafted and at what number? The super draft of '01 and No. 37. Fair get at 37. I didn't have any expectations back then. I was happy to end up at St Kilda and as it's turned out it's taken me a little bit more time than other people in that draft. It has been a gradual rise rather than, "Bang, I'm here". You've had to work on your fitness and your defensive game. No doubt there was all those aspects, starting with my size. I was under 70 kilos and now I'm 78-79. And there were the other dimensions: the confidence, the ability to play at that level, the defensive efforts and the hardness, which all take time. The Article Mark Robinson/HeraldSun/05Apr07
St Kilda had a new look last Friday night, and it was more than guernsey-deep. The stamp of new coach Ross Lyon, so recently of Sydney, was upon all its endeavours as it unexpectedly beat Melbourne. Asked about it, new-old ruckman Matthew Clarke affected to be puzzled. "Sydney-style? You mean St Kilda style!" he said. Central to and in the new guise was Clarke, now 33 years old, but crucially, still 200 centimetres tall. Previous St Kilda coach Grant Thomas was sceptical about the worth of tap ruckmen, believing they had to earn their keep around the ground, and shaped his teams accordingly. Clarke, 14 years an AFL ruckman, believes a ruckman's first duty is to ruck. "That's your No. 1 job," he said. "If you're a defender, your first job is to stop your opponent, then run off and create. A ruckman's first job is to compete strongly in the ruck, and the rest is a bonus, I suppose." So it proved on Friday night: moderate possessions, artful taps, salvation for the Saints. "If I'm the saviour," said Clarke, "I think we're in trouble." Clarke, from Mt Gambier, began in Melbourne as a teenager, playing under 18s for Richmond, but flourished in seven-year stints with the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide. Though successful, a scar remains: he has played in five preliminary finals, but no grand finals. The Article Greg Baum/HeraldSun/05Apr07 Hudghton's tough return Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with intimidating Jonathan Brown before the opening bounce at the Gabba tonight. Welcome back, Max Hudghton. St Kilda is considering Hudghton, now sporting a shaven head, for the daunting assignment on the powerhouse Brisbane Lions forward in his first game of the season. Saints coach Ross Lyon yesterday nominated Hudghton, recovered from a groin injury, Sam Fisher and Michael Rix as candidates to try to contain Brown. "We were tempted to play Max last week, but we wanted to give him another run at Casey (Scorpions) and he played well," Lyon said before the Saints flew north yesterday. "He has been running since before Christmas and has a lot of condition. He's a 200-plus game player and full-back which are hard to come by, so we're rapt to have him back. It's really timely with the unfortunate injury to Matt Maguire." Lyon said the Saints opponent for Brown would be confirmed at a match committee meeting in Brisbane today. "I haven't told anyone yet. We'll have our final team meeting up there and make a decision." Lyon said. The Article Bruce Matthews/HeraldSun/05Apr07
One of the most feared AFL full-forwards in history returned to footy yesterday. Tony "Plugger" Lockett was at the Brunswick St Oval to shoot the latest instalment of Toyota's Legendary Moments TV commercials. Like Wayne Harmes, Dermott Brereton, Alex Jesaulenko and others before him, Plugger helped Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson take a lighter look at one of the game's great moments. Details of the commercial were under wraps. It could refer to Plugger's record 1300th goal at the SCG in 1999 or his after-the-siren point to beat Essendon in the 1996 preliminary final. The Article Nick Higginbottom/HeraldSun/06Apr07 Footy waits for Earl Channel 7 put My Name Is Earl and How I Met Your Mother ahead of its prized AFL coverage last night. The US sitcoms screened from 7.30pm, forcing the Brisbane Lions-St Kilda clash at the Gabba to be shown on one-hour delay in Melbourne. Channel 9 showed the now-traditional Easter Thursday fixture live when it had the AFL rights, but Seven refused to shake up its usual evening scheduling. Last night's coverage started at 8.30pm - even though it was interstate, removing issues with the coverage running against the gate in Melbourne. St Kilda fans were furious yesterday, but the club took a more reasoned approach. "Seven has paid an enormous amount of money for the football. I don't know much about the television business, but they've got to know what they're doing," club president Rod Butterss said. But when told of the programs taking precedence, Butterss admitted he had never seen them. The Article Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/06Apr07 Go back to basics: Rhys-Jones . . . Club memberships are at an all-time high, as are player salaries, thanks to an enormous television rights deal. Players are undoubtedly more professional, fitter and faster than their predecessors, helped by an array of sports science technology and hugely expanded coaching and fitness staffs. But, despite these advances, or perhaps because of them, some are concerned the game itself is becoming less entertaining. St Kilda president Rod Butterss suggested as much this week, when he outlined plans to shine spotlights on players, among other measures to make things more interesting for spectators. His motivation was that the game itself was becoming less spectacular. "The game is becoming more clinical, with fewer one-on-one contests and numbers behind the ball and tempo football, at times that takes away from the spectacle," he said. But, rather than add bells and whistles from the sidelines, Rhys-Jones said the AFL should stop detracting from its own product. The Article Sam Lienert/HeraldSun/06Apr07 Coaching by satellite: the AFL's hi-tech future is within reach It is football in the technological age. Each player takes the field with a small global positioning satellite unit strapped to his back. From the first bounce, every step, heartbeat and metre covered is recorded and beamed back to the coaches' box, where a team of sports scientists monitor the numbers in real time. Whenever a player starts to "red-line" on any given measure, he is brought to the bench and replaced by a team-mate with fresh legs, enabling the game to continue at maximum speed and intensity. Whenever a player's output slips below an acceptable level, the runner is quickly dispatched to bark instructions in his ear. A glimpse into a distant sporting future? Hardly. According to GP Sports, the company that provides AFL clubs with GPS units, it is technology available from July 1. The Article Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/07Apr07 The weekly yak attack The Saints apparently "look towards the future" by flicking the lights on and off at Telstra Dome like it's disco nite at Mentone Bowl, artificially herding the supporters into rival team sections, and generally trying to imitate soccer as fast as their overheated neurons will carry them. This is your classic case of labouring desperately to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place. Naturally the progenitor of this stunning concept in sheer piddling about turned out to be Rod Butterss from South Park. Hopefully he'll forget about it in a couple of days, and concentrate on a dazzling master plan of building a spaceport in Templestowe, or something. From the cheap seats TheAge/08Apr07 GO BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
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